Skip to content
World Health Systems Facts

Germany: Political System

Germany: Political System

German Health System Overview
Health System Rankings
Outcomes
Health System Coverage
Costs for Consumers
Health System Expenditures
Germany’s COVID-19 Strategy

Health System Financing
Medical Personnel
Health System Physical Resources and Utilization
Long-Term Care
Medical Training
Health Information and Communications Technologies
Pharmaceuticals

Political System
Economic System
Population Demographics
People With Disabilities
Aging
Social Determinants & Health Equity
Health System History
Health System Challenges


“Germany is a federal parliamentary republic, consisting of 16 states (Figure 1.1). Each state has a constitution that is consistent with the federal, democratic and social principles embodied in the national constitution, which is known as the Basic Law, or Grundgesetz.

“The constitutionally defined legislative bodies are (a) the Bundestag (“Federal Assembly”) and (b) the Bundesrat (“Federal Council”):

“a. The members of the Bundestag are elected by the people every four years.* The current members of parliament in the Federal Assembly were last elected in September 2017 and form six political parties, namely the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (Christlich Demokratische Union/Christlich-Soziale Union – CDU/CSU) holding 246 seats, the Social Democratic Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands – SPD) holding 152 seats, the Alternative for Germany (Alternative für Deutschland – AfD) holding 90 seats, the Free Democratic Party (Freie Demokratische Partei – FDP) holding 80 seats, the Left Party (Die Linke) holding 69 seats, and Alliance 90/The Greens (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen) holding 67 seats. The main functions of the Bundestag are to pass laws, elect the chancellor and hold the government accountable (Deutscher Bundestag, 2019).

“b. The Bundesrat, which represents the sixteen states, does not consist of directly elected representatives, but rather of representatives from each of the sixteen state governments, each having between three and six of a total of 69 votes. The main function of the Bundesrat is to deliberate and enact laws passed by the Bundestag.

“The president of Germany (since February 2017 Frank-Walter Steinmeier) is elected for five years by an assembly consisting of the members of the Bundestag and an equal number of representatives from the states according to the size of their population. The president’s role is largely ceremonial, the chief tasks being to sign new laws, to formally appoint the chancellor and the federal ministers and to serve as head of state.”

Source: Blümel M, Spranger A, Achstetter K, Maresso A, Busse R. Germany: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2020; 22(6): pp.i–273.


“Legislative authority is exercised by the 16 states except in areas reserved explicitly for the federal level. At the federal level, legislative authority falls into two different categories: (1) exclusive legislation (pertaining mainly to foreign policy, defence, currency, citizenship, trade, aviation and some elements of taxation) and (2) concurrent legislation. For areas that fall neither within the exclusive remit of the federal government nor within that of the states (for example, criminal law, road traffic laws and consumer protection), the states may exercise legislative authority only in cases where the federal government has not already done so. In principle, the states can fill in any gaps left by federal legislation or in areas not specified by the Basic Law. As an expression of their cultural sovereignty, they are responsible for almost all matters pertaining to culture and education (see Section 4.2.4 Training of health workers). Given this shared power, health care policy and legislation are formulated at both the federal and state level.”

Source: Blümel M, Spranger A, Achstetter K, Maresso A, Busse R. Germany: Health system review. Health Systems in Transition, 2020; 22(6): pp.i–273.


Health Systems Facts is a project of the Real Reporting Foundation. We provide reliable statistics and other data from authoritative sources regarding health systems in the US and sixteen other nations.


Page last updated Jan. 25, 2023 by Doug McVay, Editor.

  • Home
  • About Health Systems Facts
    • Contact Us
    • Join Our Email List
  • Breaking News & Opinion
  • Upcoming Events
  • Seventeen National Health Systems
    • Austria
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Czech Republic
    • Denmark
    • France
    • Germany
    • Hungary
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Netherlands
    • South Korea
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
  • Comparing National Health Systems
    • Healthcare Access and Quality Index
    • Sustainable Development Goals Health Index
    • Mirror Mirror 2021
    • World Health Report 2000
    • International Health Systems In Perspective
    • Lessons for US Health Reform
  • Aging
  • Health System Outcomes
  • Healthcare Spending
  • Healthcare Workers
    • Health System Personnel
    • Health Workforce Training
  • Information and Communications Technologies
  • Long-Term Services and Supports
  • People With Disabilities
  • Pharmaceutical Pricing and Regulation
  • Social Determinants & Health Equity
  • Wasteful Spending
  • Various US Health System Proposals
    • Affordable Care Act
    • All Payer
    • Public Option
    • Single Payer / “Medicare For All”
    • Universal Health Coverage
  • Recommended Resources
  • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

© 2019-2022 Real Reporting Foundation | Theme by WordPress Theme Detector

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
_GRECAPTCHA5 months 27 daysThis cookie is set by Google. In addition to certain standard Google cookies, reCAPTCHA sets a necessary cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) when executed for the purpose of providing its risk analysis.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Advertisement".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to calculate visitor, session, campaign data and keep track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookies store information anonymously and assign a randomly generated number to identify unique visitors.
_gat_UA-71314304-21 minuteThis is a pattern type cookie set by Google Analytics, where the pattern element on the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. It appears to be a variation of the _gat cookie which is used to limit the amount of data recorded by Google on high traffic volume websites.
_gcl_au3 monthsThis cookie is used by Google Analytics to understand user interaction with the website.
_gid1 dayThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics. The cookie is used to store information of how visitors use a website and helps in creating an analytics report of how the website is doing. The data collected including the number visitors, the source where they have come from, and the pages visted in an anonymous form.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
IDE1 year 24 daysUsed by Google DoubleClick and stores information about how the user uses the website and any other advertisement before visiting the website. This is used to present users with ads that are relevant to them according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThis cookie is set by doubleclick.net. The purpose of the cookie is to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo